揝ure,?she finally says, glancing around.
It抯 always a skeleton crew in the office on the weekends and everyone on the floor already went home. Even if they haven抰, my mind says fuck it.
I lean down, cradle her face, and pull her lips to mine.
She moans real sweet for me as I drink her deep, my tongue hinting at exactly what I intend to do.
Later, we抮e on the open water, cruising the Puget Sound while Seattle抯 evening lights are just beginning to twinkle in the distance.
揓esus. When you said boat, I thought it抎 be some James Bond speedboat. Not a hotel with a hull,?she says, whistling quietly into the wind as we stand on the top deck.
揋ot it. I knew you were obsessed with size, Nevermore. Ever heard the phrase that it抯 not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean? Thankfully, I抦 blessed with both.?
揑diot!?She whacks me playfully in the arm, laughing.
揌as work been awkward since we committed to the wedding hoax??I ask, shifting to a serious tone.
She shakes her head, her hair whipping around delightfully. 揟he only people making dumb jokes about it are Cheryl and Anna, and I抦 pretty used to that.?
揥hy are they giving you shit??
揥ell, Anna抯 convinced we have chemistry梩he real kind梐nd Cheryl agrees. She抯 a huge sucker for romance movies.?
揘o wonder she抯 best friends with my mother,?I groan, raking back my hair.
Dakota抯 green eyes catch mine a second later.
揂nd what do you think, Nevermore? Does their teasing ruffle your feathers??
She blushes, but her face is tense. 揅hemistry is a loaded word. I think I抎 call it energy potential.?
揈nergy potential??I snort. 揧ou sound like a physics teacher.?
She bites her bottom lip, oblivious to how it makes my dick lurch in my pants.
揥ell, we definitely have potential for梪mm, inspiration, as you put it before梑ut I kinda thought it was a one-off. You said you didn抰 want it to be, and that抯 why we agreed to this whole wedding farce, besides the marketing benefit. But this is the first time we抳e really talked outside work since it happened...?
揧eah. I抣l admit I can be an idiot sometimes,?I say slowly.
Laughter sputters out of her. 揘o argument there!?
揅areful, hellion. Are we cool, though??I stare at her, needing her to say yes.
?..I don抰 know, Lincoln. You tell me.?
揑 hope so. If I抳e upset you, let抯 lay it out, here and now.?
揘o. We抮e good,?she says softly, her eyes searching mine.
揑 want to believe you, but you are a Poe. I can抰 dismiss the possibility that you抮e planning to murder me in my sleep and bury my heart under the neighbor girl抯 floorboards. You抮e just waiting for one more round of the best dick of your life,?I say with a slow smile.
Her grin stretches from one red ear to the next.
揑 won抰 murder you梕ven if your attitude might deserve the death penalty. I still need you to sign my paycheck.?
I laugh. 揋lad you have one good reason to keep me around.?
The distance between us closes and we抮e standing toe to toe. She props her hand on her hip.
揟hanks for reminding me I抳e been signing stuff for you a lot lately. I could probably forge your signature.?
揂ll this fluff and you still won抰 mention the real reason you like having me around, huh??I lean closer, audibly inhaling her scent.
I feel her weight shift. She leans up on her toes, flushed scarlet as she gives in, brushing her lips to mine.
Here we go.
Growling, I pull her in, mashing her perfect tits to my chest. One hand skims down the small of her back, stopping to toy with the upper curve of her ass.
揇o you want to see the wedding line or do you just want to fuck? They sent several dresses in your size,?I rasp against her ear, adding a nip of my teeth. 揑抎 love to see you in them before they抮e on the floor. But if you抎 rather skip to the best part, I抣l hardly complain.?
揋od, you抮e just...?She trails off, trembling in my arms, overcome with the same desire coursing through my veins. ?..I don抰 particularly like white. Fair warning.?
揧ou抮e beautiful in any color. And you never finished that thought about me, Dakota Poe. What do you think I am??
揃ossy. Way too flipping bossy for your own good. One day it抣l give you a bruising,?she whispers.
揂s long as it抯 you leaving marks,?I say with a shrug.
Then I take her hand and lead her to the upper cabin near my suite, where the two largest cabinets with the clothes are set up.
揙h, no. Are we doing that thing where you tell me what to wear and I have to do it because girls and weddings and you抮e my boss and blah, blah, blah??She makes a funny face.
揥e are. I want a private show with you modeling everything for me. Don抰 bother going anywhere between dresses, I want to see you changing.?My tongue flicks across my lips like the fucking serpent I am.
She hesitates, and I smack her delectable ass lightly.
揈verything抯 in there. My tuxes, too.?I point to one door and use my thumb to gesture behind me. 揕et抯 change separately for this first round and I抣l meet you in the room in fifteen minutes??
揝ounds good.?Her shoulders are high and her spine straight as she marches into the cabin where I had the gowns laid out for her.
I抣l hold off on round one before I see her naked. If it happens too soon, there抯 no way we抮e getting through this little trial run.
Fuck.
I still hope this isn抰 too much for her, like a buried mine detonating and heaving up bad memories.
I put on a black tux and barely manage to tuck my raging cock into my charcoal pants during the impatient fifteen-minute wait before crossing to the main suite.
When I do, I stalk across the corridor like a tiger and knock.
She answers the door immediately. My eyebrows dart up when I notice she抯 still in her black sundress.
揇on抰 tell me. You抮e backing out??
She scans up and down my body with her mouth slightly open.
揅lassic look. I like it a lot! But what else do they have over there??
揘avy blue and seersucker, I think, but first I want to know why my bride isn抰 dressed??I glare at her.
揧our decoy bride, you mean??She smiles. 揌onestly, I spent all fifteen minutes trying to pick a dress...?
I smile and shake my head.
揧ou抮e not Cinderella getting dolled up for the ball. Try them all. That抯 the whole point,?I tell her.
She gives a rigid shrug.
I wonder if it抯 so simple. Her reluctance to choose a dress might be connected to her hatred for all things wedding related.
揧ou抮e okay with this, right??I grab her hand, pushing her thin fingers through mine. 揧ou don抰 have to do anything you don抰 want to. No money ever minted is worth your tears, Dakota.?
She gives me a slow look, something dark and melancholy spinning in her eyes.
揟hat抯 really sweet but...you don抰 need to treat me like a victim. I抦 fine, Linc. Everyone has crap to deal with. Go try another tux on and I抣l be dressed in fifteen minutes.?
She gives me a firm look, a promise set on her face.
揂ll right, I抣l hold you to it.?I lean over and kiss her before I exit.
This time, I choose a cream tux I didn抰 notice before.
Fifteen minutes later on the dot, I knock on the door again.
When she doesn抰 answer, I nudge it open since it抯 unlocked.
My jaw instantly hits the fucking floor.
Dakota stands in front of a full-length mirror in a long white dress. Pale silk flows around her like a foaming waterfall. She抎 be beauty incarnate, Aphrodite come down to smack every man ever born with her glory梕specially this damn man梕xcept for the fact that her jaw is clenched so tight her temples bulge.
Her reflection in the tall mirror beams back glossy eyes.
My heart crash lands in my gut. I have to do something.
揑 thought you hated white? You look like you could be the swan in some Russian ballet. Nice change from the raven schtick, Poe,?I say, playing up the sarcasm.
She whips around at the sound of my voice, turns to face me, and smiles. It doesn抰 touch her eyes.